Forever Amber

Greetings. For all those who have been on a Baltic Cruise and looked at Amber: Is there any advantage to purchasing it (value wise or quality wise) at one of the Baltic ports vs. buying locally here in the USA? I am considering it as a gift for someone who lives in NYC and she could probably find multiple stores selling amber jewelry there. But if the amber available is unique in some way to the cruise port towns, then I would be happy to purchase something for her. Also, if you have purchased amber, do you have a recommended location and shop?

Thank you!

There are many threads on this topic, I just grabbed the first few that had several responses when using the search function.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=707962&highlight=buying+amber

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=622044&highlight=buying+amber

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=577292&highlight=buying+amber

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=155243&highlight=buying+amber

I haaven't really read them and I did notice a few more that might be helpful. Happy Reading!

Hello. Thank you for replying. I initially did a search in the Baltic ports of call forum and not much popped up. Since these links are 10-12 years old I shall continue to explore in the hope for something more recent and that more directly addresses my question on value. Thanks again.

We purchased a few amber pendants while on the cruise last week. To be honest, I didn’t know much about amber so I can’t tell you whether they are unique or if there is any advantage of buying them there. I just don’t see much amber around here but there are tons over there. They look pretty and I like them so I bought them :)

I did read here that they are better values in Tallinn, Estonia than the ones in Russia. So that’s where I bought them. I bought them at a souvenir shop called Hansa Suveniirid in Tallinn located at the top of the hill (Upper Old Town) across from the Dome and Tower Church. Great selection of jewelry and souvenir, and friendly sales ladies. We ended up getting a few Faberge egg pendants there as well.

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There are a few quick tests to see if it is plastic or amble but is really hard without tests because it both are about the same weight and appearance.

It is a very big sales item in St Petersburg particularly with the million or so Asian visitors each summer. Amber buying is a highlight of the trips for many.

Anywhere in the Baltic has some but Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia has about 90% of the worlds supply of Baltic Amber, one of the 5 types of amber and the one most sought for jewelry.

Generally everything is lower cost in Russia but prices vary a lot between stores. There are a few rules of thumb in buying

Fine Jewelry stores usually have the best items and offer documents of authenticity.

Gift shops are all over, some very elaborate and high end, with lots of amber-like items at low to high prices. If you see it hanging on a peg where you can touch it and it looks really good...it is a plastic resin which is almost indistinguishable from amber since they are both resins.

If it has identifiable insect parts, particularly wings or segments of wings, it is fake. Good insect encasement amber is the stuff of bidding wars between museums, not gift shops. Specks of sand, dust, and veins of minerals are good indicators of real amber.

If it is fashioned into necklaces or jewelry and pieces are very similar in size or shape, there is little chance of it being real amber since the pieces found are random shaped fragments.

I was hosting a visitor a few years ago, just showing her around when she decided to buy amber so I took her to the nearest store to look and she found a necklace she liked and was about to buy it when I interrupted to ask "while it is nice looking, do you really think a souvenir store is going to hang a real 30 piece necklace on a peg on a rack with 6 others, each priced at $5000, without being in a tempered glass case and an armed guard next to it? I would guess that 90% of the amber offered in gift shops plastic. The real amber is usually ignored because the affordable type is smaller and less flashy, and often yellowish as less finished in its transformation into transparent amber that needs many thousands of years to go.

But real jewelry grade amber is available in many jewelry stores and they will provide certificates from recognized gemology associations. It might not be any more expensive than the gift shops which create high prices of poor value.

Some of the gift shops have specialty shops just for amber and they usually do have some real amber of quality but at pretty amazing prices....amazingly high prices.

I would ask myself first, before looking, "do I want an attractive item of art or beauty in its own right or do I want an appreciating investment?" If the former I would look for what looks nice and forget whether it is real or not and negotiate a much lower price. If I was looking for investment grade amber, I would go to a certified gemologist. Gold is more common than true Baltic type Amber so it will appreciate but only if having certification from a major reputable gemology association. Personally, I think jewelry is a poor investment if the expectation of gain is in mind. Only the best pieces have real investment interest. It is like art, get it if you like it for what it is, not future value. The odds of a non-expert picking future winners in art trends are pretty long.

kaywes and spbstan - thanks both for the great tips! Much food for thought.

kaywes and spbstan - thanks both for the great tips! Much food for thought.

Tallin Estonia was the port on our Baltic cruise that had the most unique art and jewelry that was hand crafted . There are many wonderful galleries. I would shop there!